Highway 149 Update from the Mayor
In regard to the widening of Highway 149, may I inform you what the big picture looks like as of now. At the meeting printed in the Watchman, several factors were brought up as to where the ideal location would be for the widening. As far as going through Beckville, the highway would be widened on the west side only. This is the side that Poppy's is on. I was told that all the utilities,(water, sewer, gas and electrical), would have to be relocated for all the individuals on that side of the road inside the city limits. Needless to say, the water and sewer line relocation would cost around $800,000. Also the city would have to pay 10 percent of the cost of obtaining right-of-ways. This could cost the city about $20,000. Looking only at the economics of the project, it looks cost prohibitive. The route around the east side of Beckville is not popular with the landowners. TxDot would go around oil and gas wells and cemeteries, but there are not many utility expenses involved. Right-of ways would have to be obtained, but the county would have to match the 10 percent instead of the city. The estimated cost could be $1.47 million dollars for Panola County. There is one last option. Do nothing. The highway would not be built.
Please let me know what your thoughts are about this proposed project. You can e-mail me at gmothershed@juno.com with your response or call city hall at 903-678-3661.
Thank you,
Gene Mothershed
Mayor
Beckville City Meeting
A regular meeting of the governing body of the City of Beckville will meet at 7pm August 14 at Beckville City Hall.
Notice of Public Meeting to Discuss Budget and Proposed Tax Rate
The Beckville Independent School District will hold a public meeting at 7pm, August 14, 2003 in the board room of the administration building, 4398 State Hwy 149, Beckville, TX. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the school district’s budget that will determine the tax rate that will be adopted. Public participation in the discussion is invited.
Beckville High School classes of 1975 and 1976 Reunion
BHS classes of '75 & '76 are planning a reunion for October 25, 2003. The plan as of this time is to hold a meeting of the two classes during that Saturday at the high school with an evening get together at another location which has not been determined as of this date. Please respond with your correct mailing address and or contact information to the following students: Suzanne Williams Legg, 254-739-0788; Stephen Dubose, 903-893-1370; Mark Gary, 903-678-2233 or Denna Diffey Bedunah, 903-889-2609.
School Starts August 19th
Beckville Independent School District students will begin school on Tuesday, August 19.
U.S. Highway 149 still in question
by Tom Burkindine
This article appeared in The Panola Watchman Wednesday, July 30, 2003 paper.
Design planners and engineers for the Texas Department of Transportation met with Panola County commissioners and the mayor of Beckville to hold preliminary discussions about proposed changes to State Highway 149.
Community disapproval of the proposed route of Hwy 149 which will bypass Beckville and widen the roadway to four lanes, has caused the consideration of other routes for the project, according to Mike Anderson, TxDOT area engineer.
TxDOT has begun looking into the possibility of widening the existing Hwy 149 to four lanes as one option, although this would likely increase costs for right of way, displacing utilities, environmental hazards, and safety concerns.
Beckville Mayor Gene Mothershed said he would like to conduct an official poll in Beckville to gather a more accurate impression of the citizens’ feelings on the matter.
Anderson said it was important to realize that these preliminary planning stages are only the beginning of a long process that could take many years.
He pointed out the construction that I currently underway on the U.S. 79 Loop in Carthage was planned in the mid- to late- 60s. Those planning stages were the equivalent of the planning currently underway for Hwy 149.
TxDOT District Engineer, Bob Ratcliff said it is important to realize how much traffic will use the highway by the time construction is completed and how this would affect Beckville if it ran through the town.
“We would already anticipate installing a traffic light at the intersection of F.M. 124 in the future. If we were to run a four lane highway by a school, we would probably need more stop lights. This is going to cause more congestion, when the purpose of the project is to reduce congestion,” Ratcliff said.
TxDOT now plans to review other possible routes to see if they are feasible. This process could take several months, according to Dennis Beckham, TxDOT transportation director of planning and development, because they would have to wait for the trees to lose their leaves to get aerial pictures.
TxDOT officials would then meet with county officials again to discuss their findings.
